This past weekend saw Alton Towers Resort host the first ‘Nemesis Reborn VIP Event’, providing those in attendance with a unique insight into the iconic roller coaster which has been revamped for the 2024 season! TowersTimes team member Craig was amongst those on the event and is here to share his thoughts.
This was an event like no other! In advance of the day, an itinerary was sent out confirming the timings for the key elements of the line-up: an in-depth discussion with John Wardley, John Burton and Bianca Sammut; a photo opportunity with the trio; and a behind the scenes tour of the beast itself. Also included was a Gold Fastrack and a one-shot Fastrack for Nemesis Reborn.
The itinerary requested our arrival at The Stateroom of the Alton Towers Conference Centre at 4pm. We were greeted by Abbie and her colleagues, and were given a very nice looking Nemesis Reborn lanyard which also had a number assigned to it – later we would find out the relevance of our numbers. Also in attendance were The Phalanx, ensuring all guests successfully found their way downstairs to The Stateroom!
Upon entering The Stateroom, we were given the opportunity to have a photo with the legendary trio, with a Nemesis Reborn billboard as a backdrop. Of course I took the opportunity to grab a selfie!
The room was set up in cinema type style, with all chairs pointing towards an impressively built stage which featured a Nemesis Reborn backdrop, overhead (coaster track inspired?) trusswork, and a table with two chairs. A screen displayed a rolling video which looped through the various teaser trailers for Nemesis Reborn, as well as footage from the last operating day of the original Nemesis (featuring some familiar faces). Within the room, the bar was open for guests to purchase refreshments.
The talk itself was set up in the style of a talk show, with Bianca serving as the host – I must add at this point no photos or filming was not allowed. The format was fabulous and the chemistry between all three was captivating. Bianca firstly interviewed John Wardley, discussing the development of the original Nemesis, which included some never seen before photos displayed on the screen. Then followed a discussion with John Burton on the transformation into Nemesis Reborn, which too included some really incredible never seen before photos, concept art and some really poignant moments which were truly lovely. Following the conclusion of the talk, we discovered the purpose of our numbered lanyards – a raffle with four prizes, these being three Nemesis Reborn earphones and a Nemesis Reborn lift hill walk for four people! Afterwards, the trio received a standing ovation and rapturous round of applause. But their work didn’t finish there, not only did they pose for photos at the beginning of the talk as I mentioned above, they now all sat down and signed anything that was put before them!
This concluded the portion of the event hosted in The Stateroom, and so we headed back upstairs where we waited until there was about 30-50 people for The Phalanx to then escort us over to Forbidden Valley. A sight to behold, we were greeted by the huge inflatable eye which was used as part of the PR campaign for Nemesis Reborn! On arrival, we were introduced to Simon Horsley, Head of Entertainment Technical Design, Development, and Operations, and John Maudsley, Entertainments Audio Visual Control Systems Engineer. Together they are responsible for all of the special effects in Forbidden Valley, and therefore they provided an insight into all of the effects employed throughout the area and went into some detail about the amazing Nemesis Reborn eye specifically. Following this, Sian Wilson, Head of PR and Media Relations, proceeded to give us an insight into the inflatable eye and why it was used in the Staffordshire Moorlands promotional stunt.
We were then led into a trainless Nemesis Reborn station – as we would soon discover for ourselves, one was on the brake run and the other in the maintenance shed. Then in small groups of roughly no more than 20, we were allowed to walk onto the catwalk then out of the front of the station, from where the train exits, right up to the bottom of the lift hill. There a ride operator was on-hand to answer any questions and take photos for you. We then were walked back into the station to be greeted by another ride operator who gave us an insight into the operators box and how Nemesis Reborn is dispatched and operated throughout the day. We were not allowed in the cabin but we were permitted to take photos and ask questions.
After taking a few photos and being able to touch the track above, we were led into the maintenance shed. There, engineers talked to us about the general upkeep of the trains, as well as all things wheel compounds and lubricants. Just about everything to do with the engineering side was explained, and also covered was the guest evacuation process in the event of an issue that requires it. Once again we could ask questions and take photos.
We were then able to go onto the brake run and get a closer look at the other train. Another engineer was on-hand to give us more information on how the brakes and the transfer track work. This then concluded our tour.
To end, I wanted to provide my personal thoughts on pricing and the event experience as a whole. The cost of the package was £120 with this incorporating: the Fastrack; the insightful session with John, John and Bianca; the photo and signing opportunities; and the extensive behind the scenes tour, incorporating a number of mini talks. Over the years I’ve done numerous VIP packages and behind the scenes tours at various attractions, and I thought the price charged for this event was reflected in the value of what was delivered. The unique format of the talk was just brilliant, with Bianca the ‘talk show host’, John Wardley taking us from the start and finally John Burton bringing it all home, and of course seeing behind the scenes of Nemesis Reborn was an unbelievable experience!
The amount of effort all of the staff involved put in was nothing short of remarkable – from the leading trio, support staff, the Phalanx, technical guys, engineers, ride operators, and the young lady that signed me out at 8:30pm. As I was leaving, another group were about to start their tour, so those staff probably wouldn’t have finished until close to 10pm! The passion, energy and knowledge shone through in all of the staff involved across the whole event! All that’s left to say is thank you!
Hope you have enjoyed this review!
CraigÂ
